ESA Complex – The first provincial gold medal by a St. Albert Women's Soccer League team was a work in progress for Mavericks 09.
ESA Complex – The first provincial gold medal by a St. Albert Women's Soccer League team was a work in progress for Mavericks 09.
This year's Tier 3 championship victory surpassed the highest provincial finish by a SAWSL rep, a distinction shared by the 2012 Mavericks and the 2005 Morinville Ladies in Tier 4.
Fourth place was also the order of finish for the Mavericks in Tier 3 last year and Tier 4 in 2011 before climbing to the top of the medal podium in Monday's 2-0 feat against Sturgeon in the Alberta Soccer Association final.
“We started this season with a provincial gold as our goal and every game it was one step closer to that goal,” said co-captain Jen Bruinsma. “This year of all years we all came together with the same focus.”
The Mavericks outscored the opposition by a sizeable 14-2 margin while going 4-0 at provincials.
“We came in with the mindset that we were going to give it 110 per cent. We weren't going to let up. It was Maverick ball every game, every pass, every play, Bruinsma said. “We held possession in each game we played and we dominated the field and it won us our medal.”
Results were 7-1 against the Fever on Saturday and 3-0 against Sturgeon and 2-1 against WSC Storm on Sunday en route to Monday's final.
“Our scores don't really depict exactly how the games went because I feel like we had to come out and play our best every game. It wasn't an easy ‘let's go and win this,' we had to come out and leave everything out on the field every game,” said co-captain Alison Johannesen.
The Mavericks also extended their season-long winning streak to 18 matches after going 16-3-2 overall last year as the SAWSL division one pennant winners and playoff cup finalists.
“It's hard to even sum it up what we did. It's just so exciting,” Johannesen said. “Shane (Moore, the head coach) really recruits people with really positive attitudes so it's not only just skill because we try and have a really good attitude to play with.
“As well we leave everything on the field every game so just to come here and know that we did that for the whole season is just awesome.”
The Mavericks controlled the play throughout the final but quality shots were at a premium as Sturgeon clogged up the middle in front of the net.
Natalie Miller worked the outside like a surgeon in the 26th minute to curl the ball into the top far corner. A few plays earlier she chipped a ball from outside the box over the crossbar.
Five minutes into the second half an innocent-looking shot by a well-covered Miller from the corner triggered a strange sequence as the ball deflected off the post and bounced off the startled goalkeeper before rolling past the goal line.
In the 59th minute, after some aggressive play by a determined Allyson Fong for the ball in front of the touchline in Sturgeon's end, Miller just missed connecting on a brilliant through ball by Chelsey Marques.
Miller led all players in the tournament with seven goals, including four in the opening match against the Fever, 12-4-2 as the division three leaders in the Calgary Women's Soccer Association.
In league play Miller ranks among the top scorers with 14 goals. She stepped it up a notch with Suzanne Schulz, the team's most prolific scorer with 16 goals this season, nursing an ankle injury.
“Natalie is solid on offence. She got the majority of our goals this weekend,” Bruinsma said.
Late in the match Meghan Tauber accepted the ball in front of the goalkeeper, who charged out of the net to deny the Maverick a goal.
Sturgeon, an Ardrossan club that finished first in the Edmonton District Soccer Association's division 3C table at 13-0-1, threatened in spurts but Lindsay Hornung was airtight as the last line of defence. The shutout was the second win in a row for Hornung, who can play any position on the pitch with equal aplomb, after filling in for starter Stephanie Filomeno.
The Mavericks also rotated players on a regular basis, which was a huge advantage against a Sturgeon side that kept it simple with a short bench.
“We worked pretty hard. We're a team that plays with a lot of heart. We're out on the field for each other and this was just a win for our team,” Bruinsma said.
The last contest before the final was a tight one-goal affair against WSC Storm, 10-2-2 as the No. 1 team in the EDSA division 3A table.
Johannesen and Andrea Noppers filled the net before the Storm scored a late marker. The Storm is the same squad that relegated the Mavericks into the 2012 bronze-medal playoff with a 2-1 decision and a berth in the final on the line. It was the Mavericks' first loss that season after 15 consecutive wins.
“It was a great win,” Johannesen said. “It was a hard game because it was our second game that day and we were just so tired.”
Earlier in the day Melanie Johannesen, Bruinsma and Miller potted goals against Sturgeon.
In the tournament opener Tauber potted a pair and Andrea Noppers also scored against the Fever.
“Regardless of what the score is in our minds we try and keep it at 0-0 and not give up a goal. A goal for us meant it was time to tighten up and work that much harder,” said Bruinsma, a veteran outside forward who has racked up 15 goals in league play.
The Mavericks – 14-0 (100 GF and eight GA with eight shutouts) in the combined single division and division one tables – will now prepare for the SAWSL playoffs.
“To still be undefeated is crazy to think about but we're still going to play our best and leave everything on the field,” said Alison Johannesen, 30, a fixture in the midfield.
